03.07.2026 13:50
The police statement of comedian Deniz Göktaş, who was detained on charges of "insulting religious values" and "insulting the president" due to his stand-up show titled "Dead Sea," has emerged. Denying both charges, Göktaş stated that his words were within the scope of humor and that he did not intend to insult or offend anyone. During identity verification, when asked about his monthly income, Göktaş responded "high income." After his prosecutor's statement was completed, Göktaş was referred to the Criminal Court of Peace with a request for arrest.
The statement given to the police by comedian Deniz Göktaş, who was investigated for "publicly insulting the religious values adopted by a segment of the public" due to his stand-up show "Dead Sea" and later for additional charges of "insulting the president," has been revealed. While denying both charges, Göktaş argued that his words should be considered within the scope of humor.
DETAINED UPON RETURNING FROM ABROAD
Comedian Deniz Göktaş, who was subject to an arrest warrant as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was detained yesterday at the airport during passport control upon returning from abroad.
Göktaş, who was taken to Vatan Security Directorate, gave a statement regarding his stand-up show "Dead Sea," which he uploaded to YouTube and reached 10 million views in about a week.
According to a report by Ceylan Sever from HaberTürk, Göktaş stated his profession as "comedian" during identity verification and answered the question about his monthly income as "high income."
"I HAVE NO INTENTION TO HURT A RELIGIOUS PERSON"
In his statement regarding the show published on his YouTube channel, which he acknowledged as his own and which is the subject of the investigation, Deniz Göktaş said the following:
“The person in the video shared as part of the investigation is me. This is a video of a stand-up show I performed on June 1, 2026, at Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre. It was uploaded and shared on the said YouTube channel by me. The text of the speeches in this stand-up show belongs to a script I prepared beforehand. Regarding the charge of 'Publicly Insulting the Religious Values Adopted by a Certain Segment of the Public,' I definitely had no such intent. This show is one I have performed across various cities in Turkey for about three years. Over 100,000 spectators have watched this performance, and none of them complained about being hurt by this part. During the show, I talk about many topics, including not just religious people but all kinds of political opinions or popular figures. Here, I am not saying anything bad. I say 'my favorite book.' My statement 'there is a problem in translation' is a reference to the debates about Quranic interpretations I’ve heard for years. I absolutely have no intention to hurt a religious person; if I heard such an interpretation from a spectator in daily life, I would be upset.”
"I DENY THE INSULT CHARGE"
Göktaş also stated that he did not accept the charge of "insulting the president," explaining in his statement: “I have no intention to insult the president in any way. The word 'dictator' is a political characterization and is a topic frequently and openly debated in public discourse. It is simply a word like 'democrat' or 'autocrat.' Throughout the show, this is a humorous approach to such popular figures, ideologies, and sociological events in Turkey, similar to my other remarks. I have no other purpose. I do not accept the charges against me.”
REFERRED TO COURT TODAY
After completing procedures at the police station, Deniz Göktaş spent the night in custody. This morning, he was referred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan, where his statement to the prosecutor, which began at 11:20 AM, lasted approximately two hours. Many citizens gathered in front of the courthouse to show support for Göktaş.